C-E-N-T-E-R-L-I-N-E-S

#115 Friday, January 28, 2005

CenterLines is the bi-weekly e-newsletter of the National Center for
Bicycling & Walking. CenterLines is our way of quickly delivering news
and information you can use to create more walkable and
bicycle-friendly communities.

F-E-A-T-U-R-E-S

NCBW TO OFFER FALL '05 WALKABLE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

-> We are pleased to announce a Fall 2005 series of Walkable Community
Workshops (WCWs). The program will be similar to our award-winning
series now in its third year. However, this is the first time the
program has been available for Fall presentations. In the next month,
the NCBW will issue a call for applications using a newly created
on-line application process. And, in response to the growing interest
in the program, we are encouraging all agencies and organizations -- in
addition to MPOs -- to apply. Now, state DOTs, Highway Safety offices,
public health agencies, local governments, foundations, and school
districts can sponsor programs for their states, regions, or
communities.

Meanwhile, NCBW is about to roll out what we call "WCW Round III"
beginning next month in Bakersfield, CA (see below). As spring
approaches, our teams of trainers will really pick up steam as they
present 10 weeks of workshops in April and May in Tampa, FL;
Kansas City, MO; Wilmington and Dover, DE; Medford, OR; Fayetteville,
NC; Dayton, OH; Spartanburg, SC; Daytona, FL; Los Angeles, CA;
and Indianapolis, IN. Also this Spring, we will present four weeks
of workshops across the state of Maryland, sponsored by the Maryland
Highway Safety Office.

Finally, in addition to the outstanding WCW program that many of you
are familiar with, we will soon introduce a new Safe Routes to Schools
workshop. Like a WCW, the objective will be to help neighborhoods,
PTAs, local governments, and school districts organize to take on the
challenge of making their schools places where most kids can and do
bike and walk to school.

Want to know more, and can't wait a month? For WCW information, contact
Bob Chauncey at <chauncey@dmv.com> or (410) 570-5765. For more about the
new SRTS workshops, contact Sharon Roerty at <sharon@bikewalk.org>
or (973) 378-3137.

BAKERSFIELD (CA) HOSTS NCBW WALKABLE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

-> Bakersfield, California will be the first stop for Round III of the
National Center for Bicycling & Walking's Walkable Community Workshop
series. The workshops are sponsored by the Kern Council of Governments,
and will commence the week of February 28th.

The sites of the workshops vary tremendously: Bakersfield is a city of
more than 250,000 that wishes to provide a more walkable environment;
Kernville is a small mountain town that deals with large influxes of
tourists. Several of the other communities are rural and have unique
issues associated with providing amenities for their citizens. The
entire region faces air quality challenges, as it out of compliance
with the Clean Air Act. Transportation activities contribute
significantly to the region's air quality problems.

The Kern Region is larger than the state of Massachusetts and has three
distinct geographic regions stretching from the Great Central Valley of
California, the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Mojave Desert. It is
one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world, is the top
petroleum producing region in the nation and is now home to the first
civilian spaceport at Mojave.

"That spaceport may come in handy if we happen to run into more than a
few reluctant public officials," notes the NCBW's Bob Chauncey, one of
the trainers. The public is invited to attend the workshops.

WALK/BIKE CALIFORNIA 2005 CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

-> According to a recent note from Gail Payne, "The second biennial
Walk/Bike California Conference will be held on Wednesday, September 14
to Friday, September 16, 2005 in Ventura, California.

"Whether your interest is engineering, planning, public health,
universal access, livable communities, safety, education, law,
transportation reform or marketing, Walk/Bike California 2005 is an
essential conference to share your work, network with colleagues, and
meet those who are funding and creating an exciting movement that is
changing the way Californians live. The conference will feature
informational sessions, workshops and mobile tours on topics that are
vital to all levels of staff in your organization.

"Please join us with your participation and respond to the Call for
Presentations, Sponsors or Exhibits by Thursday, March 24. Walk/Bike
California 2005 is hosted by the California Bicycle Coalition and the
City of Ventura in association with California Walks."

Commentary by Bill Wilkinson:
WHERE DID OUR NEW TRANSPORTATION LEGISLATION GO?

-> Nowhere, that's where TEA-3 legislation went last year. Congress
was supposed to pass a new six-year transportation bill. Not a
particularly minor part of what they -- and the Administration -- are
responsible for doing. What did we get? Nada. So, the new Congress
begins with a really big, "Still To-Do" on their list; another problem
that was simply passed along like so many other things.

But, back to the issue at hand: TEA-3: what can we expect? I talked it
over recently with the smartest person on the issue I know, Kevin
McCarty of the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP). Based on
that conversation, and Without blaming Kevin for it, here's my
prediction: The House and Senate will, in the next six weeks or so,
pass pretty much the same versions of their bills that they developed
and passed last year ... so that the process can again move on to
conference committee.

Once there, members of Congress will again try to hammer out an
agreement with the White House on the one important thing to everyone:
how much money the final bill will authorize. Once that is settled,
they'll butcher the substance of the bill to make it more-or-less fit
the funding, and whisk it to the floor for a final vote ... without
anyone knowing what it contains, without giving anyone an opportunity
to review and comment, let alone change anything, and pretty much
without caring about any of this. This will probably happen by July
(I'm not sure which year, however). And, that's a definite maybe. It's
like making sausage, remember?

What about Safe Routes to School and other enlightened aspects of the
bills we saw passed last year? They will probably ride along in the new
bills as they go into conference. Then... well, it will depend a lot on
whether or not these initiatives are championed by anyone at the table.
Remember, this isn't a process that favors rationality and common sense,
it's about power and special interests. And, these days, power and
special interests clearly determine who gets a seat at the table.

SCOUT NEVER HAD A CHANCE

-> It's cold here on the Northeast but I'm more aware of my heavy heart
than the sub zero temperature. It's 3:00 pm and soon four children
(Jack, 11; Ben, 10; Nina, 8; Tommy, 6) will come home from school and
learn that their dog was killed by a big red truck that sped past their
house. At 30 lbs., Scout never had a chance. "I can't believe she's not
coming back," said Kim, Scout's owner. "I miss her already, but what's
even more sobering is to think that this could have happened to one of
my kids."

Scout was a lovable Brittney Spaniel, only 18 months old, and a darling
of the neighborhood. If it's possible for dogs to have friends, then
it's fair to say that she was my dog's best friend. Damn that big red
truck.

The purpose here is to remind everyone that while we are all
pedestrians, many of us are also drivers. The most sobering statistic
for me as a driver (and mother) is this:

Someone struck by a car traveling at 40 mph has a 15% chance of
surviving.
Someone struck by a car traveling 20 mph has an 85% chance
of surviving.
-- AASHTO, 2004

All drivers need to know this: speed kills. It kills people (about
5,000 people per year in the U.S.), it kills animals, and it breaks
hearts. Vehicle fatalities don't get much attention because of their
scattered nature and un-summed totals. Imagine if all the fatalities
happened in a single episode in a single day. Better yet, imagine if we
all drove like we had a choice between saving lives or ending them.
Scout never had a chance, but you have a choice.

Q-U-O-T-E-S--R--U-S

"I think people, if they care about their town, then the real jewel of
any town or city is their downtown. The downtown reflects basically how
people feel about their whole city. We have beautiful parts to our
city, but downtown is kind of everyone's place. When you have guests or
friends who visit you want to show off your downtown. To have a
downtown that's deserted and dark is just not good for the psyche of
your city."

"High passenger transport usage, along with walking and cycling,
reduces pressure on our roads, and brings considerable health,
community and environmental benefits. It also makes us better prepared
to deal with the economic and social impact of higher oil prices."

I-N--T-H-E--N-E-W-S

STUDY: PROMOTE SIMPLE ACTIVITIES FOR "COUCH POTATOES"

-> According to a Jan. 27th New Scientist article, "Genes may be the
key factor in determining how active a person naturally is, suggests a
new study of 'couch potatoes'. But the research also suggests health
authorities can tackle the growing obesity epidemic by promoting simple
activities like standing up and walking. Previous research has shown
that casual activities like shopping and even fidgeting can keep people
trim. Now, James Levine, a physician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minnesota, US, and colleagues have investigated what makes people prone
to these behaviours, called 'non-exercise activity thermogenesis'
(NEAT).

"The team designed undergarments fitted with sensors to study the
posture and movements of 20 self-proclaimed 'couch potatoes' for 10
days. Half of the participants were lean, while the others were mildly
obese. The team found that the obese people sat for about 2.5 hours
longer per day than the lean people. That translates to an extra 350
calories for the same daily food intake and could mean that these
'extreme' couch potatoes pack on an extra 15 kilograms per year. Levine
says the results show 'you don't have to join a gym or buy expensive
equipment to lose weight -- it's available to you right now.'..."

PRINEVILLE (OR) PLAN FEATURES "COMPLETE" NEIGHBORHOODS

-> According to a Jan. 24th Bend Bulletin article, "In 20 years,
Prineville's downtown will be hopping. Its neighborhoods will be linked
by trails and sidewalks, dotted with small shops and situated within
walking distance to parks and schools. That is the future that
Prineville planners have laid out in a draft of the city's first-ever
comprehensive plan. With the city in the throes of unprecedented
growth, the plan will serve as a road map for development and form the
basis for new zoning ordinances and updates, said Prineville's senior
planner Dave Reesor...

"City officials hope to adopt the plan by this summer, Reesor said.
Perhaps most important, the comprehensive plan distills the city's
philosophy for future growth, which Reesor characterized as
progressive. Built on the idea of "complete" neighborhoods, the plan
advocates mixed-used development to close the divide between homes and
businesses. 'We're trying to create neighborhoods where residential
uses are walkable to parks and open space or to schools or commercial
uses. Not just vast seas of residential homes where you have to drive
15 minutes to get a loaf of bread,' Reesor said..."

BH&G SURVEY: 88% OF READERS WANT WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS

-> According to a Jan. 15th San Francisco Chronicle article, "We want
to work at home, and we want to walk at home, according to a survey of
60,000 readers of Better Homes and Gardens magazine that was to be
presented at this weekend's International Builders' Show in Orlando,
Fla. A whopping 68 percent of the readers who answered the survey
stated that they are 'interested in working from home in the next five
years,' according to a press release from the magazine that boasts 38
million readers a month. And 88 percent said they wanted to live in 'a
neighborhood that's walkable.'

"The numbers underscored the importance of incorporating office space
in home design, a feature that commute-conscious Bay Area builders have
been successfully marketing. It also raised the question of whether the
gated communities that are so prevalent in the Bay Area may be
considered 'walkable.' Overall, said Editor in Chief Karol DeWulf
Nickell in a statement, 'affordability and flexibility top America's
wish list when it comes to their homes. People are hungry for ideas
that fit their budget and they want their home to work through all the
changes their families go through.'..."

DUTCH ENGINEER LIKES INTERSECTIONS BARE

-> A Jan. 22nd New York Times article starts, "'I WANT to take you on a
walk,' said Hans Monderman, abruptly stopping his car and striding --
hatless, and nearly hairless -- into the freezing rain. Like a
naturalist conducting a tour of the jungle, he led the way to a busy
intersection in the center of town, where several odd things
immediately became clear. Not only was it virtually naked, stripped of
all lights, signs and road markings, but there was no division between
road and sidewalk. It was, basically, a bare brick square.

"But in spite of the apparently anarchical layout, the traffic, a
steady stream of trucks, cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles and
pedestrians, moved along fluidly and easily, as if directed by an
invisible conductor. When Mr. Monderman, a traffic engineer and the
intersection's proud designer, deliberately failed to check for
oncoming traffic before crossing the street, the drivers slowed for
him. No one honked or shouted rude words out of the window. 'Who has
the right of way?' he asked rhetorically. 'I don't care. People here
have to find their own way, negotiate for themselves, use their own
brains.'..."

WASHINGTON STATE PREPARES NEW BIKE-PED PLAN

-> According to a Jan. 25th Seattle Times article, "Those who get
around astride a bike or on their own two feet could benefit as the
state updates its bicycle and pedestrian plan, a component of its
long-range transportation plan that promotes helping self-powered
travelers travel safely. Cities, counties and other agencies around the
state are in various stages of submitting their wish lists, which
request miles of new bicycle lanes and paths, sidewalks, pedestrian
overpasses and trail extensions. Ray Steiger, Kirkland's
capital-projects manager, said his city is submitting a list of
proposals that includes transforming a section of Burlington Northern
Santa Fe right of way into a cross-town bike trail. 'We'll be one more
city competing for all this money out there,' he said.

"Proposals listed as top priorities in the state's final plan in the
fall can qualify for state and federal funds and will help state
transportation officials gauge funding needs. Regional transportation
agencies, such as the Puget Sound Regional Council, and advocacy
groups, like the Cascade Bicycle Club, are urging people to check out
the list, suggest projects and get involved. 'One of the main ways the
plan is to be used is to help raise awareness for issues and serve as a
guide for investment,' said Charlotte Claybrooke, a state bicycle and
pedestrian planning specialist..."

CENTERVILLE (UT) WANTED "WALKABILITY," GOT WAL-MART

-> According to a Jan. 17th Salt Lake Tribune article, "The Wal-Mart
that has residents riled in this south Davis County city will sit on a
swath of property that once was held up as a poster of urban planning
in Utah. And, no, a 200,000-square-foot big-box store was not in the
picture. So why is it there now, especially since an earlier proposal
from Envision Utah called for a walkable wonderland of tree-lined
streets, shops, offices, theaters and townhomes? 'Our intention was to
give people an opportunity to have input on what is one of the last
major pieces of developable land in their city,' recalls Stephen
Holbrook, former executive director of Envision Utah, the state's idea
factory for smart growth.

"Along with a section of old-town Provo and Ogden's transportation hub,
Centerville's gateway district was chosen as one of Envision Utah's
pilot projects to receive a $10,000 grant to put into action Utah's
Quality Growth Act of 1999. After several brainstorming sessions
attended by Centerville's civic, religious and cultural leaders, a plan
was born. In 2000, the nearly 60-acre site was transformed -- on paper
-- into a pedestrian-friendly Village Center. Now, that site is slated
to become a Wal-Mart with a sea of parking stalls on one end and an
Ivory Homes subdivision on the other..."

TOLEDO (OH) FOLKS PONDER SMART GROWTH FUTURE

-> According to a Jan. 20th Toledo Blade article, "Visions of Toledo
streetscapes, both current and potential, flashed across a screen at
the Martin Luther King Plaza last night as part of a discussion on
smart growth and neighborhoods. About 70 citizens, government and
school officials, architects, and urban planners turned out for a forum
on 'Smart Growth in Brownfields Communities,' led by Douglas Farr,
founder of Farr Associates, a Chicago architecture and planning firm
that tries to minimize the negative environmental impacts of its
developments. After listing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats to the city, the audience viewed 35 pairs of pictures and rated
them on a scale of -5 to 5, based on how appealing they were.

"The photos, from Toledo and other cities, included sidewalks,
riverfronts, schools and other civic buildings, neighborhood shopping
centers, and housing. Audience opinion was most united on pedestrian
walkways and housing styles. The audience did not like sidewalks
passing by blank walls or big parking lots with no designated
pedestrian paths. It also did not like 'snout houses,' houses with
large garages in front, preferring front porches and townhomes. Opinion
on the riverfront was split, with people approving of both natural
areas with lots of plants and user-friendly areas with benches and
docks..."

RICHLAND HILLS (TX) PLANS PED-FRIENDLY TRANSIT CONNECTION

-> According to a Jan. 17th Fort Worth Startlegram article, "A year
ago, Richland Hills residents voted overwhelmingly to stay in the Fort
Worth Transportation Authority and continue paying a half-cent sales
tax for transit. In response, elected leaders say they are getting more
serious about improving the area surrounding the city's commuter rail
station. The Trinity Railway Express platform, which opened in 2000, is
in a barren industrial area near Texas 121 and Handley-Ederville Road.
But the area has potential to become a walkable retail area. It could
cater not only to commuters who use the station as a park-and-ride lot,
but perhaps someday also to people who live in an on-site, high-density
residential area, according to a recent study by the University of
Texas at Arlington School of Urban and Public Affairs.

"The first step is to realign Burns Street and Trinity Boulevard at
Handley-Ederville Road, officials said. The streets dead-end several
hundred feet apart but could be joined to form a continuous path,
making the area more suitable for storefronts. 'We envision possibly a
cleaners place to drop off your clothes, a place to pick up a cup of
coffee in the morning, possibly a doughnut, and possibly a convenience
store where you can pick up a pack of gum,' City Councilman Kenney
Davis said..."

S. CAROLINA WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS CREATE COMMUNITY

-> According to a Jan. 26th Sun News article, "New Urbanist
neighborhoods in the Grand Strand faced sales struggles in their early
years, but now that the brick, mortar and people are becoming reality,
sales are soaring, and prices are expected to rise. Neotraditional
neighborhoods are designed to create a community of public green space,
homes closer together, and commercial stores mixed in with a
pedestrian-friendly environment. Since more buildings and more
neighbors mean more community, prices appreciate faster in these
developments than standard ones, according to New Urban News.

"The I'on development in Mount Pleasant is a great example. A home
bought in 1999 at $349,000 was sold in 2001 for $589,000. That 37.5
percent increase is compared with that of a home bought and sold in the
same time frame but different neighborhood in Mount Pleasant at a 5.9
percent increase. I'on is now selling its last 120 lots through auction
because demand is so high. Its national recognition and award-winning
design have made New Urbanism and its benefits more well-known to Grand
Strand buyers...The style is new, but the concept is not. It's the way
neighborhoods were built before cars, when people walked to the store
for milk and knew the names of everyone on their block..."

FRENCH-FRIED FITNESS: RONALD MCDONALD HEADING TO A SCHOOL NEAR YOU

-> According to a Jan. 28th Washington Post article, "McDonald's Corp.,
known for its Big Macs and fries, is sending its flame-headed mascot,
Ronald McDonald, into elementary schools to push fitness -- part of a
corporate campaign to address the childhood obesity issue.

"Ronald, the company's newly dubbed 'Chief happiness officer,' has
become the company's 'ambassador for an active, balanced lifestyle,'
McDonald's Chief Creative Officer Marlena Peleo-Lazar told a government
panel yesterday. Her announcement came the same week an appeals court
reinstated a lawsuit against McDonald's in which two New York teenagers
claim they got fat because the company hid the health risks of its food."

Hamburglar has to receive a new title, but one can only assume his
adversarial duties will include discouraging kids from walking to school,
and working to eliminate PE.

AND NOW, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

A9.COM BRINGS YELLOW PAGES TO LIFE...

"The most powerful technology A9.com invented for Yellow Pages is
'Block View,' which brings the Yellow Pages to life by showing a street
view of millions of businesses and their surroundings. Using trucks
equipped with digital cameras, global positioning system (GPS)
receivers, and proprietary software and hardware, A9.com drove tens of
thousands of miles capturing images and matching them with businesses
and the way they look from the street.

"The whole process (except for the driving!) is completely automatic,
making it fast and efficient. Block View allows users to see
storefronts and virtually walk up and down the streets of currently
more than 10 U.S. cities using over 20 million photographs. We are
driving and at some point hope to cover the whole country..."http://a9.com/-/company/YellowPages.jsp

Q-U-I-CK--H-I-T-S

DRIVER CHARGED IN UTAH CYCLIST'S DEATH

-> "Today, the driver of the car, 67-year-old Elizabeth Deseelhorst,
wife of Solitude owner Gary Deseelhorst, was charged with negligent
homicide. Bob Stott, Salt Lake Co. District Attorney's Office: 'The
bicycle at the time of the incident was on the far right hand side of
the road, and the vehicle at the time of the collision, right tires
were touching the shoulder of the road.'..."http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=5&sid=147232

WESTPORT (MA) BIKE/WALK ADVOCACY GROUP FORMS
-> "Dedicated to the notion that Westport could be a much friendlier
place for people to walk and ride their bicycles, a group of volunteers
will meet later this month to explore the possibilities..."http://www.eastbayri.com/story/282428480345418.php

WELL, HOWDY MR. DOODY!

DETROIT (MI) ALSO HOSTS "OTHER AUTO SHOW"

-> "It's the Other Auto Show (formerly the Anti-Auto Show), an annual
event thrown by artists, writers and intellectuals to present a
counterpoint. Inside the show a video flashes images of car wrecks and
traffic jams, with a woman singing, 'It's high time/You could
walk/Heaven forbid.'..."http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpcol224122503jan23,0,5227856.story?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines

J-O-B-S--G-R-A-N-T-S--A-N-D--R-F-P-S

-> JOB -- BIKE SAFETY CLUB LEADER -- COMMUNITY CYCLING CTR.
The Community Cycling Center has expanded to start a branch in
Vancouver, Washington and is seeking a highly qualified, skilled youth
program leader to teach safe bicycling and maintenance to low-income
youth in Vancouver schools. Participants in the Bike Safety Club
program have the opportunity to earn their own bicycle, helmet and lock
by learning safe bicycling skills. Experience in Challenge by Choice
and Experiential Education program facilitation, safe bicycling,
bicycle mechanics, and working with at-risk youth preferred.

The position is 12 -20 hours per week, weekday afternoons from
approximately 3 - 7pm. The position runs from early February through
May, with the potential for qualified candidates to continue full-time
during the summer leading our Summer Bike Camp and programs.
Open until filled. Please call first. See our website for the full job
description and details for how to apply.http://www.CommunityCyclingCenter.org

-> JOBS --THREE POSITIONS OPEN -- S.F. BICYCLE COALITION
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition announced that they are seeking
three talented, committed individuals to join the SFBC staff. The
positions include: a full-time Membership Director, a half-time
Community Organizer, and a 10 hour/week Operations Assistant.
Resumes will be accepted through February 1. You can view the
job descriptions athttp://www.sfbike.org/?jobs

-> JOB -- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR -- ONE LESS CAR
One Less Car, Maryland's Campaign for Biking and Walking (OLC)
is seeking an Executive Director to provide the organization with
experienced leadership, vision, and management skills to build on
its track record as a successful statewide membership and advocacy
organization. OLC works to create safe streets and healthy communities
through education, outreach, and special events by promoting walking
and bicycling as viable transportation options in Maryland. OLC has
an annual budget of approximately $250,000, and runs three well
attended events each year. Its Board is comprised of leaders in the
nonprofit, for profit and public sectors.

OLC is seeking an executive with the leadership and resource
development experience to further shape and refine the organization,
including creating a strategic plan, implementing its advocacy agenda,
developing the board, and effectively managing its programs and events.
The following is a summary of key requirements for the position:
strong, visionary leader, and proven manager; demonstrated track record
of growing financial resources for operations and for programs;
knowledge of bicycling and pedestrian issues sufficient to be an
effective advocate and spokesperson; Maryland experience preferred, not
required.

Salary will range from $50,000 to $60,000 to be negotiated based on
experience and qualifications. Work location is flexible, telecommuting
available. To apply, e-mail resume, cover letter and salary
requirements to: info@onelesscar.org (attached files in Microsoft Word
or PDF format) or mail to: One Less Car Search Committee, P.O. Box
1870, Pasadena, MD 21123. For information on One Less Car, see:http://www.onelesscar.org